CHAPTER NINETEEN
Crystal hugged her arms around her waist in a vain attempt to stop the shaking that rattled her teeth so badly her gums ached. A storm of activity ebbed and swelled around her as police and medics began to sort through the disorder of people and equipment while she swayed in the wind, numb.
Max stood to her right and between bouts of nausea relayed to the sheriff all the details of what they found when they had entered the bank. He stroked his chin as his gaze appeared to turn inward with thought. “There’s something that isn’t adding up. The explosives are too over the top, too cartoonish. There’s a simpler way to break into the vault. And for what? Maybe a million in cash? A good chunk of which was promised to the Eggers brothers. There’s more going on here.”
“I’m inclined to agree.” Lancaster braced his hands on his hips and cocked his head in her direction. “Prism, I don’t suppose you can do that hocus-pocusy thing again so that we can get to the bottom of this quickly?”
“If it means we can go home faster, then absolutely.” And by home she meant the bottle of wine that was calling her name. Crashing adrenaline made her entire being feel as sensitive as a frayed nerve. At any moment, she expected to crack like an egg and spill her emotions all over the floor.
Medics were strapping the man who had lost an arm to Ripley’s teeth onto a stretcher, preparing him for transport. She stepped to the head of the gurney and placed her hand on his forehead, diving through the images of his past.
“Big Tim hired this man for his expertise in explosives,” she said. “But he was not privy to any more information beyond that they were robbing a bank.”
She then turned toward the short man himself who sat on the floor in the corner. He smiled like a crocodile catching wind of his next meal as she approached and knelt by his side.
If it were possible, his smile showed even more teeth and bravado as he said, “Hey, pretty baby. If you’re going to put your hands on me, let’s make it good for both of us.” He opened his knees further apart and bracketed his crotch with his cuffed hands.
She slapped her hand on his forehead, smacking his head into the drywall behind him. The time for niceties was long over. “His name is Victor Tseng. Talents include theft, larceny, and acrobatics.” She flicked a glance at Max. “He also works for Madden, gathering information on his rivals.”
“Madden?” Lancaster stopped her. “You mean Matthew Madden? The Matthew Madden whose bank we are currently standing in?”
She nodded, not ready to divulge more on that topic while Max appeared to have developed a noticeable vein throbbing at his temple. “It appears Victor here was approached by an associate of Madden’s. They call him The Second.” She paused to shake her head at Big Tim. “Seriously? You guys are as bad at code names as we are.”
She wiped her palm on her thigh and backed away from the human rodent. “I can’t see what this man looks like exactly, but he appears to be about Maestro’s height, broad shoulders, fit. Wears a suit. But in Victor’s memories, he’s either standing in the shadows or facing away. The objective of this operation was to tap into the database of cashed checks, or more important, the signatures on the checks, along with the account holders’ personal information.”
Max nodded as he caught on. “Identity theft. Much more lucrative than larceny.”
“This branch contains the mainframe for all Madden Bank customers. Which explains the big production going on with these explosives. Make everyone think they were after the cash, and the identity thefts would go unnoticed for months or years down the road.”
“Why is the mainframe here and not at the main branch downtown or at some server farm out in the woods?” Lancaster asked.
“Too obvious,” Max replied. “No one would think to look for the main frame in such an obscure location as this small branch, unless you already knew it was here.” He turned to Lancaster with the corners of his mouth turned down. “What happened at the Bank of America?”
“Caught the guys as they came up through the floor. They were outfitted like these three.”
“Why would Madden need to steal information on his own clients?” Max murmured.
“What?”
“Nothing, Sheriff.” He shook his head and his frown deepened.
“I don’t suppose there’s any proof of these plans hiding anywhere?” Lancaster asked.
Crystal nodded. “They’re stored at Victor’s home in Vancouver, BC.”
“Great.” Lancaster swiped his hand down his face. “Now I’ll have to get the Canadian government involved.”
“Sheriff.” Max slapped him on the back. “If you don’t mind, we’d like to take off. I’m sure you can take it from here.”
“Not so fast, buddy. What I want from you is an explanation as to how you can move things without touching them. And how can she read people’s minds? And how the hell can that man turn into a dog?” With each question, his voice rose and the color in his cheeks deepened to a rich crimson. “I want answers.”
“So would I.” Max smiled without humor. “However, that’s a story for another day.”
* * *
The second Max turned the Rover into the garage, Crystal jumped out and made a beeline for her bedroom. She didn’t give a rat’s ass if she needed to be involved in any sort of debriefing with the other members of the team. Max and Ripley had been there too; they could go over the gory details again without her.
Her footsteps fell in a heavy, uneven pace on the smooth rock floor. Her skin felt too tight, her breathing labored as if she had run the entire way home. Ripping off her cap, she dug her fingers into her scalp, yet the pressure in her brain didn’t ease. She peeled off her coat as she walked, but the band around her chest remained tight. Air. She needed air. And space.
She stopped in her room long enough to throw her coat on the bed and toss her boots in the corner. However much she longed to crawl into bed and put the wretched night out of mind, she knew rest would not be on the horizon. Max had kept a concerned eye on her every second since the police had appeared on the scene. For all she knew, he could appear at her door at any moment to check on her.
No. No. She was too raw to face him.
Racing out into the woods was not an option. In her current frame of mind, she’d probably fall into a hole or down a ravine. Not to mention the possibility of stumbling onto some form of wildlife.
She clawed at her shirt and turned in circles. Who do I have to screw to have some space of my own on this mountain?
“Wait. Oh yes,” she whispered as inspiration struck, and she stumbled out into the hall and in the direction of the workout room.
Yes. Her soul rejoiced as the cavernous tomb of the empty gym cloaked her in absolute silence. The soft recessed lighting kept the darkest of shadows away and granted her tranquility.
Her lungs burned as she drew in huge mouthfuls of air. Slowly, ever so slowly, the tension in her back eased, weakening the wall of mental preservation she had thrown up the minute that man aimed a gun on her and pulled the trigger. In the quiet of the room where she had built up her physical strength, her emotional fortitude crumbled.
A cry burst past her lips, cracking through the silence like a leather whip. The second wail brought her to her knees. With each sob thereafter she pressed her forehead harder into the cold parquet floor as the reality of the evening’s events carved its truth into her soul.
She almost lost him.
Behind her lids she could still see the smoke drifting from the barrel of the gun, like a spirit rising from the body of the life the bullet took. Regardless of how much distance she had placed between them, deep inside she counted on Max always being there, and that night she almost lost him.
A pair of strong, masculine arms wrapped around her and pulled her against a hard living body. The scent of sweat, blood, and Max’s signature musk invaded her senses.
“Leave me alone,” she choked out, not ready to face him. Not ready to face the truth.
“No.”
“Please. I want to be alone.”
“No. You don’t.” He turned her in his embrace.
Damn it. She hated when he was right.
She locked her arms around his neck and he returned her squeeze so tightly they fused together from chest to thigh.
“I thought I lost you,” she whispered. Under her ear his heart beat a steady rhythm, soothing her with its cadence.
He pulled back enough to cup her face in his shaking hands. He brushed his thumb across her tear-streaked cheek. “I didn’t think I would reach you in time. I was—I—” He pressed his lips together as he drew in a harsh breath through his nose.
When he tried to speak, a small mournful gasp was the only sound he made. His expression crumpled before he pressed his lips to hers. Her mouth parted under his demand, willing to give him anything he asked of her. His hands slid down her back and around her hips as his tongue glided along hers, searching, seeking the same affirmation that they were together.
“More,” she whispered, digging her fingers into his shoulders. “More.” This time she demanded with a cry. Surely she would expire if she didn’t have him inside her in the next second.
Seams popped as they tore at each other’s clothes. Her bra hit the floor a second before her back followed. The icy floor against her heated skin added to the shivers of want, making her tremble.
Max looked like an avenging angel as he hovered over her. Under the black fringe of his hair, the blue of his irises glowed like two lasers focused on her.
He traced his fingertips over her swollen lips, across her jaw, and down the column of her neck as he followed with soft kisses. “So beautiful,” he whispered in reverence. A kiss fell on her collarbone then the curve of her breast. “Beautiful.”
She arched into his touch as his hands molded and shaped her flesh. Pinpricks of energy zinged up her arms and settled into her breasts, making them feel heavy. He took a straining nipple into his mouth and sucked in strong deep pulls that left her gasping, aching.
Cold air hit the skin of her belly when the button on her pants unfastened and the wool skimmed down her thighs. Her giggle broke the cadence of their heavy breathing as she realized Max was undressing them both with his powers so he could continue to lavish her breasts with loving attention.
“That’s a handy trick to use with the ladies,” she teased, gasping.
Her laughter died at the solemn, ferocious light in his eyes. “This isn’t like any other time, Crystal. Never.”
His somber declaration settled in her soul as he captured her lips in a kiss meant to possess. A ravenous claiming of mind and body.
She reached out to stroke as much of his skin she could reach as he drank from her mouth. The muscles in his shoulders and chest bunched and flexed under her caresses, reminding her of the strength he displayed in the bank as he had fought to reach her. The hand he had used to manipulate his powers in the bank glided down the satiny skin of her stomach and delved between her thighs. His finger stroked the slippery nub of her clitoris in tight circles.
He moaned against her lips. “Jesus, you’re so wet.” He speared two fingers deep inside. “So ready for me.”
“Max.” Her legs fell open, and her hips undulated, pleading for more. “I need you.”
Where his fingers thrust and stretched, a fire ignited as the heat that always existed between them smoldered and caught flame. It tightened and eased. Soothed and ached. She was filled, yet empty. Frustration strangled her, preventing her from forming a coherent sentence.
With her nails, she scored his skin from navel to groin then along the underside of his rigid cock. The heavy length pulsed in her hands, alive and exhilarating. Up and over the plum-shaped head she stroked, delighting in his gasps and moans as she repeated the path.
“Next time.” He broke away and pulled a foil packet from his trousers next to them. “I will spend hours learning every curve of your body. I promise.”
She didn’t care. All she wanted was him inside her, surrounding her, completing her.
Confusion disoriented her as he pulled her to her feet. A rubber balance ball rolled across the floor and stopped behind her knees. “Sit down and lie back,” he instructed, smoky darkness and lust lowering his voice to a deep rumble. “Stretch out.”
Arched over the ball, she presented the gift of her body. A thrill of wickedness engulfed her knowing that simply looking at her caused his chest to heave, his body to tighten, and brought a pearl of cum to pool at the end of his cock. She licked her lips, eager to taste him.
“You’re killing me, sweetheart.” He covered his engorged shaft in latex. Kneeling between her thighs, he brushed both hands down her body from her shoulders, over her breasts, to her hips, where he grasped each thigh and parted them. “Gorgeous.”
The tip of his cock slid along her slit until it nudged her opening. Her name fell like a prayer from his lips before he drove deep. Clutching her hips, he used the curve of the ball to rock her up and down his shaft.
“Damn, that’s pretty,” he grunted as he gazed in fascination at where his cock split her in two.
He filled her beyond capacity and still it wasn’t enough. She wanted more. Needed more. “Harder, please,” she panted.
The pace quickened, and still she hungered. The force of his thrusts would leave bruises, but she didn’t care. The pain invigorated her, transformed her. An agony not to tear her down, but to build her back up into the woman who loved him with all of her heart. It pierced every shield and defense she had built between them and connected her to him, body to body. Soul to soul.
She curled around him, her hands seizing his shoulders as he breathed hotly on her neck.
“More,” she moaned and whimpered as he struck sure and true. She teetered on the edge of a great abyss, waiting for the push into oblivion. Rebirth lay just beyond.
“I’m coming,” he grunted. “Come with me.”
His cock hardened to steel then twitched, pushing her over the edge. Her back arched as she screamed, every muscle locking down. Her fingernails dug into his flesh, leaving crescent-shaped patterns in his skin.
Her body milked him, her convulsing muscles drawing out the pleasure. Tears spilled from the corner of her tightly closed eyes. Never before had she felt so complete, so wanted, so in tune with another.
Still, she wanted more.
Her heart slowed its racing and the sweat began to dry on her skin, but her tears continued.
The line she fought so hard not to cross was now nothing more than a smear of good intentions.
But she needed this. Needed to be in Max’s arms.
Please, powers that be. Please let this not be a mistake. Please let this be the start of something wonderful and not the beginning of the end.
There was too much at stake.